Evacuees from the devastating blazes threatening Yellowknife say the ongoing fight between Meta, the owner of Facebook, and Canada’s federal government over who should pay for news has made it harder to spread life-saving information about the wildfires in the Northwest Territories.
Delaney Poitras, who lives in Fort Smith, N.W.T., made the decision to leave her community a few hundred kilometres from the capital on Friday, and head to the larger community of Hay River where she arranged to stay with family on Saturday. But on Sunday, Hay River was hit with an urgent evacuation order, so the family decamped again.
“I’ve never been evacuated in my life, and to do it twice in 24 hours, it was scary,” she told CBC News from Leduc, Alta., where she and her family have been staying at an evacuation centre while they wait to check in to a hotel.
Poitras says it’s bad enough having to handle the logistics of getting out in a hurry and worrying about what might happen to her home town while she’s gone, but the situation has been made worse by the ongoing fight between Big Tech and the Canadian government over who should pay for news.
Bill C-18, which recently became law, forces large social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and others to compensate Canadian news publishers when their content is shared. Meta has pushed back against the law and made good on its threat to instead block news from being shared on its platforms in Canada.
content from news providers like the CBC, local newspaper The Yellowknifer and digital broadcaster Cabin Radio is being blocked, which means people can’t get or share critical information from news sources on Facebook and Instagram, two of the most popular social media sites.
The debate over Bill C-18, known as the Online News Act, may be an academic one in many parts of Canada, but not in the North, where people are dealing with an unfolding natural disaster while suddenly being unable to use one of the most popular communication platforms to share information about wildfire locations and evacuation plans.
Poitras says social media is important where they live. “It’s how we all keep in touch.”
A line of vehicles stretches along Highway 3, the main road out of Yellowknife, as people leave the city to escape approaching wildfires. Evacuees say the emergency situation has been made worse by the fact that news sources are being blocked on Facebook, due to an ongoing fight between Meta and the Canadian government over who should pay for news. (Pat Kane/Reuters)
A live news conference covered by Cabin Radio and CBC on Wednesday evening announced the evacuation of Yellowknife, but it wasn’t shareable on Facebook, prompting users like Poitras and others to try to get around the block by posting screengrabs of information instead of direct links.
“It’s difficult to find the correct information to share to all the people that I have on Facebook,” she said, “but I try to do my best to make sure that it’s correct.”
The territorial government has provided the following information for residents:
Though she and others are trying to help, Poitras says it’s a flawed system that’s becoming dangerous.
“In our community, the protective services and the RCMP were going door to door. I guess some people … didn’t answer the door or just weren’t aware that this was even going on.”
‘Stupid and dangerous’
Ollie Williams, the editor of Yellowknife-based Cabin Radio, says Meta’s move to ban news is “stupid and dangerous and clearly should not be in place.”
But he also blames the federal government for picking this fight in the first place.
Delaney Poitras lives in Fort Smith, N.W.T., but was recently evacuated to Leduc, Alta., because of the wildfires. She says Facebook is a major communication platform in the North and the ban makes it difficult to find the correct information to share. (Anis Heydari/CBC)
“Clearly, I’m not a fan of news being banned, but I want to make very clear that I’m not a fan of anyone involved in it — and I think there are lots of actors,” he told CBC News from Fort Simpson, where Cabin Radio has been reporting from ever since wildfires threatened the territorial capital.
But Williams says he’s been pleasantly surprised by how well his audience has worked around the ban to get and share information.
Every night after his shift, he checks Facebook and Instagram and says “it’s just screengrab after screengrab after screengrab of our updates shared by our audience to their friends.”
Williams credits the audience for coming directly to their website, which he says has seen as much traffic in the past few days as it normally would in an entire year.
“Let’s not just sit here and complain about Meta and complain about the ban and say, ‘Well, this is stupid’ — it is. Let’s also say how heartening it is that there’s a wildfire situation and the audience, the people who consume the news, have just put Meta to one side and said ‘All right, well, that’s useless,’ and gone straight to the source.”
Leave Yellowknife as quickly as you can, mayor says
Rebecca Alty, the mayor of Yellowknife, says crews are working hard on fire defences, but she is urging people to ‘take what you need’ and get out of the city.
Meta’s response
Meta has faced pressure to loosen the ban due to the current situation. But in a statement to CBC News, the company says it’s sticking to its position — and notes that government sites and other sources that disseminate information aren’t subject to the ban.
“People in Canada are able to use Facebook and Instagram to connect to their communities and access reputable information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organisations,” said Meta spokesperson David Troya-Alvarez.
The company has also activated a function known as Safety Check that allows users to click a button to update their status and let their friends and family know they’re safe from the wildfires.
Safety Check was used for previous natural disasters, but Meta activated it for the N.W.T. wildfires on Thursday.
Yellowknife wildfires: How do you evacuate an entire city of 22,000 people?
Almost 22,000 people have been ordered to evacuate Yellowknife, N.W.T., as wildfires are expected to reach the capital on Saturday, officials say. Here’s a look at the plans put in place to clear out the city.
Misinformation a worry, evacuee says
Northerners like Kelsey Worth say the situation is dangerous, not just because it’s hard to find and share information, but because in the vacuum left by news, misinformation seems to be spreading faster.
“When it comes to how far away the fire is, that’s definitely been a concern for everybody, because I know there’s been a lot of misinformation about where it is and what’s going on with it,” the Yellowknife resident told CBC News from the North Arm Territorial Park, where they stopped on their way out of town Thursday.
“I watch the satellite maps now because I can’t get an accurate number on where it’s at.”
She says cellular service is spotty in the territory at the best of times, and the blocking of reputable news on social media makes it even harder to share accurate information.
For instance, on Thursday morning, Worth said her parents told her they’d heard that the highway was closed at 10 a.m.
“But it wasn’t,” she said. “I mean, I drove through it about 11.”
Worth is one of many people sharing screenshots of news stories, something she wishes she didn’t have to do.
“I avoid saying where it comes from because the second you say it comes from a radio station or a news outlet, they block you,” she said, noting several friends have told her that they aren’t very aware of the situation in the territory.
“They don’t even know that we’re literally surrounded by fires.”
In an emailed statement, the government reiterated its stance on Thursday, telling CBC News that it is “deeply disappointed” Meta is continuing with its “irresponsible, unreasonable” policy of blocking news on its platforms.
“This includes Northern communities that rely on it as an information source,” a spokesperson for Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said.
“More than ever, this kind of dangerous situation shows how having more access to trustworthy and reliable information and news is vital for so many of our communities to be informed about the current emergency.”
Nicole Gill is the executive director of Accountable Tech, a U.S. based advocacy group that — as she puts it — “holds big tech accountable for the harms that they inflict on democracy, society, and our health and well-being.”
She says the wildfire situation in Northern Canada underlines just how serious the fight between governments and Big Tech is.
“I’m thinking a lot lately about the fires in Maui and how when such a rapid news event happens, especially a natural disaster, people turn to websites, the apps, and systems that they’re most comfortable with,” she told CBC News in an interview. “And Facebook has made itself a part of that ecosystem.”
She says the world is watching the Canadian dispute closely, as numerous other jurisdictions have similar laws planned, and Meta has clearly “decided to use Canada as a bit of a test population to try this out and see how far they can force the government to go before perhaps keeping or coming to the bargaining table.
“This is a way that they can almost test run some of these tactics with a different population, because they’re most certainly not going to restrict news from their home state where California where media and all of these Silicon Valley companies are based.”
Emergency situations raise the stakes
Greg Taylor, associate professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Film at the University of Calgary, says the ongoing wildfire situation perfectly encapsulates the seriousness of the fight between the government and Big Tech.
“This is far more than simply an annoyance right now. This is a matter — in some cases literally — of survival,” he said in an interview.
“You can argue back and forth about the bill itself that’s underlying this, but at the core … it’s an emergency and citizens need access to information and Facebook is not there for them right now,” he said.
“I think it shows that there are some real concerns with Facebook being where we go in times of an emergency.”
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
NEW YORK (AP) — When her husband turns on the television to hear news about the upcoming presidential election, that’s often a signal for Lori Johnson Malveaux to leave the room.
It can get to be too much. Often, she’ll go to a TV in another room to watch a movie on the Hallmark Channel or BET. She craves something comforting and entertaining. And in that, she has company.
While about half of Americans say they are following political news “extremely” or “very” closely, about 6 in 10 say they need to limit how much information they consume about the government and politics to avoid feeling overloaded or fatigued, according to a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.
Make no mistake: Malveaux plans to vote. She always does. “I just get to the point where I don’t want to hear the rhetoric,” she said.
The 54-year-old Democrat said she’s most bothered when she hears people on the news telling her that something she saw with her own eyes — like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — didn’t really happen.
“I feel like I’m being gaslit. That’s the way to put it,” she said.
Sometimes it feels like ‘a bombardment’
Caleb Pack, 23, a Republican from Ardmore, Oklahoma, who works in IT, tries to keep informed through the news feeds on his phone, which is stocked with a variety of sources, including CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press.
Yet sometimes, Pack says, it seems like a bombardment.
“It’s good to know what’s going on, but both sides are pulling a little bit extreme,” he said. “It just feels like it’s a conversation piece everywhere, and it’s hard to escape it.”
Media fatigue isn’t a new phenomenon. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in late 2019 found roughly two in three Americans felt worn out by the amount of news there is, about the same as in a poll taken in early 2018. During the 2016 presidential campaign, about 6 in 10 people felt overloaded by campaign news.
But it can be particularly acute with news related to politics. The AP-NORC/USAFacts poll found that half of Americans feel a need to limit their consumption of information related to crime or overseas conflicts, while only about 4 in 10 are limiting news about the economy and jobs.
It’s easy to understand, with television outlets like CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC full of political talk and a wide array of political news online, sometimes complicated by disinformation.
“There’s a glut of information,” said Richard Coffin, director of research and advocacy for USAFacts, “and people are having a hard time figuring out what is true or not.”
Women are more likely to feel they need to limit media
In the AP-NORC poll, about 6 in 10 men said they follow news about elections and politics at least “very” closely, compared to about half of women. For all types of news, not just politics, women are more likely than men to report the need to limit their media consumption, the survey found.
White adults are also more likely than Black or Hispanic adults to say they need to limit media consumption on politics, the poll found.
Kaleb Aravzo, 19, a Democrat, gets a baseline of news by listening to National Public Radio in the morning at home in Logan, Utah. Too much politics, particularly when he’s on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, can trigger anxiety and depression.
“If it pops up on my page when I’m on social media,” he said, “I’ll just scroll past it.”
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Sanders reported from Washington. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder.
The AP poll of 1,019 adults was conducted July 29-August 8, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
